A Sprig in the Rain
by GreenWallsOfArt
Summary: Lady is having a miserable day, as rain falls down, and Aunt Sarah and her two Siamese cats have returned for the weekend.  If only she could see Tramp again...


It was hard for Lady to ignore the pattering of the rain on the windows as she returned from breakfast. Her owners, Jim Dear and Darling, were sitting at the table, sipping from their mugs and touching their lips to their toast, and she gave them an odd look. Her head tilted to one side, she couldn't see why they were so dainty, ignoring the grim weather outside.

Lady usually didn't mind the rain—the gentle kind that spat upon the roof and left little dewdrops on the flowers. She liked to run around and chase the crows while they dove for shelter, and then sniff the flowers; somehow, they smelled extra good when they were a little damp.

But today, she was dreading this torrential downpour, and the sound of the doorbell in the midst of the quiet breakfast.

As Jim Dear rose from his seat, Lady dove under the table, squeezing in so that her long, fluffy fur couldn't be seen from any obscure angle. But with her nose so low to the ground, she could see the appearance of two pairs of fine black fur, followed by the entrance of two shiny black boots.

"Sorry, dears. I hope I haven't kept you waiting long," said the human that walked through the door.

Lady cringed at the sounds of leery meowing that came after the warm apology. Well, hardly warm in Lady's mind. She hated the sound of Aunt Sarah's voice, not because it stirred memories of when her two heinous Siamese cats had framed her for destroying the living room, but she would have to share a house with them.

Aunt Sarah made it very clear that she didn't like dogs, especially when she brushed right past Jim Dear and Darling without ever asking why Lady hadn't come bounding in to greet her. As if Lady really cared. She would rather see herself chewing on a dung-strewn twig than running into the arms of Aunt Sarah.

Finally, when Aunt Sarah had stripped of her coat and galoshes, Lady heard her tromp up the stairs to the guest bedroom, and then, the almost nonexistent clack of cats' claws on the floor. Lady clamped her mouth shut to keep from growling at the twin Siamese cats that slunk past the table. She held her breath.

"That's very funny," said one of the cats.

"What?" asked the other cat.

"Hmph!" the first cat said sharply. "Good riddance to bad rubbish. I would hate to see that wicked dog around here."

"It was expected," said the second cat. "She lives here with her humans—what are their names? Jen Dim and Drawling?"

"What's it matter?" replied the first cat. And with a chuckle, that sounded more to Lady like a cackle, the cat flicked her tail, and knocked over a glass figurine standing in a low pedestal nearby.

It tumbled slowly before Lady's eyes, and before she could stop herself, she lunged out, catching the glass angel on her plump, furry belly before it could crumble into a million pieces.

"Look what the rain dumped in," said the first cat.

"What…on earth…did you do that for?" Lady demanded between pants. She gently slid the figurine upright from her body, holding it steady with her teeth.

Both cats looked on, with a mixture of pity and disgust.

"Now look what you did," said the second cat. "You got the pretty little angel all full of doggy slime."

"Yes," the first cat slithered. "It was so pretty before, and now it looks like snails have been crawling over it."

Lady ignored that snide comment, sitting tall and keeping her tail pointed behind her. She knew better than to think that these cats would ever know what was gracious in someone else's house.

"For your information, I'm not going to stay here and grapple with the both of you," Lady said. "I'm sure you remember what happened the very last time."

The cats smiled slyly at Lady, and though she hated to admit it, such an expression made her fur stand on end.

"You got a night in the doghouse and a muzzle to match your shaggy face," the first cat sneered.

"Did you really think that you would show your face around here after that?" the second cat wondered aloud.

Lady shook her head, and moved to push past the two cats. But just as she moved, they both stuck out their claws, the points just sticking into Lady's skin. She yelped, and jumped back, flicking her tongue to the hurt spot to ease the quick pain that shot through her.

"Two," said the first cat.

"Against one," finished the second cat.

Lady stood frozen. She knew what might happen if she tried to play the cats' game, and the very thought made her spine tingle. But what she couldn't understand was why they wouldn't let her pass when she hadn't made any advances in the wrong direction. So, she just relaxed, and looked both the cats in the eye.

"All right, then," she said calmly. "As long as you don't try to play around in the living room, then I can assure you that I won't lay a paw on you. And, especially, if you promise not to go into the baby's room."

The cats both spat on the carpet, and Lady grimaced. "What's a baby to us?" one of them asked, lifting one paw to look it over. "All they do is cry and smell."

"Exactly," agreed the twin cat.

"Nothing you would ever guess at," said Lady, with a shake of her head. Then, she strode past the cats, making for some part of the house where she wouldn't find Aunt Sarah or the Siamese cats. Her heart felt heavy as she walked, not able to shake the feeling that maybe she shouldn't have left the cats alone in the living room.

But she had other things on her mind. If only it weren't so rainy, she would be more easily able to go outside, and look for Tramp. She had met him just the other day, and felt that perhaps he could do something that would take her mind off the pesky cats.

Lady trudged up the stairs, feeling as though perhaps she could find solace in Jim Dear and Darling's bedroom. A nap on the bed would certainly be nice, as well as the patter of the rain on the roof right above her head. She could feel herself getting sleepier the further she ascended.

"Watch out, you wicked little animal!"

Lady jumped on her feet when Aunt Sarah appeared from the baby's room. Aunt Sarah's polished black boot almost stomped on Lady's paw, but she dove out of the way, while the old woman gave her a wary look, as if she wanted to pick up Lady and throw her down the stairs. Lady shivered, but she glared at Aunt Sarah as she descended the stairs. She wished she didn't have to deal with the old lady today, when she was feeling so blue already.

And she missed Tramp.

Finally, Lady pushed open the door with her nose, getting ready to jump onto the bed. The canopied bed, with its yellow sheets and warm space, made Lady smile while she jumped up. And the moment that she had settled down, she closed her eyes in contentment. At last, she could relax, and not worry about the cats or Aunt Sarah.

If only they would leave sooner…

_Woof, woof!_

Lady snapped her eyes open, pulling her head up at the sound of the familiar barking. It felt like she hadn't heard that bark in so long, and she shot up from the bed. Scrambling off the sheets, and not caring if she scuffed them up a little, Lady charged past the cats at the bottom of the stairs, almost knocking over Aunt Sarah on the way out the doggy door.

"Tramp! You've come!" she cried as she came outside.

But her eyes only laid themselves upon her two friends from the neighborhood, while the rain slowed around them—Jock and Trusty.

"Miss Lady, ma'am," Trusty drawled.

"Good to see you, Lassie," said Jock. "Look. The rain has stopped."

"That's right, Miss Lady," Trusty agreed. "You like to go for a walk with us?"

Lady didn't know what to say. Somehow she had been expecting Tramp, and suddenly she was facing Jock and Trusty. What would they say when she said she was waiting for a ruffian stray to come greet her in her state of mind?

"Miss Lady?" Trusty asked slowly. "You all right?"

Lady shook her head quickly. "Oh, why, yes, thank you, Trusty," she said. "It's just…well, I wasn't expecting either one of you to appear so quickly. I thought the rain would go on all afternoon."

"We know how you are on rainy days, Lassie," said Jock knowingly. "So we took it upon ourselves to come and cheer you up when the rain slowed."

"Yes, we thought you could use some good company," agreed Trusty.

Lady was at a loss for words yet again. She didn't know how to tell them that she wanted to leave to go and find Tramp. Of course, she liked that Jock and Trusty were so kind as to check on her when it had rained so, but she didn't feel much like enjoying their company.

"That won't really be necessary, thank you," said Lady, trying to hide her disappointment.

Both Jock and Trusty bowed their heads, as if they had been rejected by the Queen for a special something. "Some other time, then, Lassie?" Jock wanted to know.

"Certainly," replied Lady. She turned around to walk back into the house.

"Pidge!"

Lady thought twice this time before she turned around to greet the voice. The last time, she had been wrong, but she hoped now that she was correct.

"Pidge! I didn't think I'd see you out here."

Now Lady felt she could be certain.

"Tramp," she said, turning around with a wide smile. "It's so good to see you."

Tramp smiled back at her, and Lady laughed. For in Tramp's mouth, he carried a sprig of lilacs. He had a wide smile on his face, so as not to drip any saliva onto the delicate flower, and Lady couldn't help but chuckle when she trotted down the stairs to greet him.

She was so glad to see her new friend, that she forgot to notice Jock and Trusty watching Tramp with wary eyes.

"Laddy!" Jock butted in between Lady and Tramp. "What are you to barge in here?"

"Relax, Buster," said Tramp calmly. "I'm a friend of your sweet little lady."

"Oi!" Jock exclaimed. "You have no right to call her a sweet little lady like that!"

Tramp didn't reply. He merely winked at Jock and Trusty, and dropped the lilacs on the ground at Lady's feet. She looked down, and smiled.

"Tramp, they're lovely," she whispered. "I'm glad you came."

Tramp smiled, ignoring the deepening glares that Jock and Trusty gave his back. "Did you know that flowers smell best after it rains?" he said.

Lady shook her head, and Tramp nudged the flowers closer to her. "Think of this as a token of…friendship."

"Well, it's a wonderful token," Lady said reassuringly. "Thank you so much."

Jock trotted quickly up to Lady, and looked between her and Tramp. "Lassie, do you know this mongrel?"

"This is Tramp, Jock," said Lady. "And he was very kind to bring me these flowers."

"What place does he have to bring you flowers?" Jock asked, appalled.

Lady straightened herself in light of her friend's rudeness, but she didn't hesitate. "He's being a gentleman, Jock. He's a good friend of mine too."

"For how long? How did you meet?" Jock said, as Trusty came up beside him with a scrunched-up face.

"I was helping her with the newspaper," Tramp butted in before Lady could answer. "Pidge here can't always get it through the door in one piece, so I was giving her some well-needed assistance."

Jock and Trusty looked at each other, then back at Tramp. Although they didn't glare at him. In fact, they just looked downright confused.

"This true, Lassie?" asked Jock.

"Of course," Lady answered.

Jock shook his head. "I cannot say whether or not I like this ruffian," he said lowly. "I don't trust his kind. They live on the streets, and then they crawl into the humans' lives just to wreck them in the end."

"Jock, you know that's not true," Lady said, once more appalled.

"And, as my grandpappy, Old Reliable used to say…" Trusty stopped, then chuckled. "Don't reckon if I ever mentioned Old Reliable…"

"Aye, you have!" Jock snapped at the old bloodhound. "Be careful, Lassie. Mutts like him never leave a pretty sight behind them."

Lady shook her head back and forth. "Please Jock, that will be enough. I must be going."

Tramp winked at Jock again, while he picked up the sprig of lilacs. "And I'll be close behind."

Lady walked down the soaked street, trying to avoid the puddles. Tramp indeed wasn't far behind her, splashing through the puddles, while the lilacs bounced between his teeth. And for a while, they walked away, turning to face one another with renewed contentment, leaving Jock and Trusty far behind them in the soggy grass.


End file.
